The largest yet trial of an indigenous dengue vaccine developed by an Indian firm has begun at a medical institute in Rohtak. Code named DengiAll, the vaccine created by Panacea Biotech aims to protect against all four types of the dengue virus.
The Phase 3 study will be conducted across 19 sites in 18 different states over the next two years. A total of 10,335 healthy adult volunteers will participate to test the safety and effectiveness of the jab. The trial is primarily sponsored by the Indian Council of Medical Research with Panacea also providing partial funding support.
DengiAll employs weakened live versions of the four dengue virus strains. These attenuated variants were created by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the U.S. The genome of one type was engineered using components from another weakened strain to induce immunity against all four serotypes.
Developing an effective dengue vaccine is challenging due to the limited cross-protection between the viral types. Getting infected with one can increase risks of serious illness from a separate type through antibody-dependent enhancement. This phenomenon led to issues with an early global dengue vaccine requiring monitoring.
If found successful, DengiAll would be India's first homegrown dengue immunization. Several other Indian companies are also working on dengue shots using comparable technology transferred from the U.S. program. The results of this critical nationwide study will determine whether DengiAll can be approved for widespread use in combating the mosquito-borne disease.
